Cristiano Ronaldo has been banned for two games and fined £50,000 for knocking a mobile phone out of the hand of a fan after Manchester United’s game against Everton.
The 37-year-old, who is now a free agent following his release from United on Tuesday, was involved in the altercation following a 1-0 defeat at Goodison Park on April 9.
He was subsequently tipped off by Merseyside Police and charged with misconduct by the Football Association.
An independent FA panel has now given Ronaldo a suspension and a fine, but that will carry over to his next club.
A statement from the FA read: “Cristiano Ronaldo has been banned for two games, fined £50,000 and warned about his future conduct for breaching FA rule E3.
The forward admitted that his conduct after the final whistle of the Premier League match between Manchester United FC and Everton FC on Saturday 9 April 2022 was inappropriate.
“An independent Regulatory Commission found that his conduct was inappropriate and violent during a subsequent hearing and imposed these sanctions.”
The panel’s written reasons noted that Ronaldo told the FA that the atmosphere at the match had been “feverish” and claimed that an “aggressive” crowd had subjected him and some of his teammates to abuse.
Ronaldo, who paid the 14-year-old boy £200 in compensation over the phone, described his reaction as “instinctively proactive” and said he had acted “out of concern for his own physical safety and well-being”.
While the player apologized for his “outburst”, the FA said: “We have little doubt that this was an act born(e) of frustration and annoyance rather than fear or concern for his well-being.”
Where will Ronaldo serve his sanction?
Ronaldo will be free to play for Portugal at the World Cup, but his suspension will apply to whichever club he joins next.
The Regulatory Commission, noting that Ronaldo “participated in a recently published interview in which he criticized MUFC”, said: “If he leaves MUFC before he completes two competitive first-team matches, the remainder of the suspension will apply to any new club. he must join ”.
It added, referring to article 12.1 of the FIFA Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players: “Any disciplinary sanction of up to four matches or up to three months that has been imposed on a player by the previous association but has not yet complied ( totally) at the time of the transfer will be executed by the new association in which the player has been registered so that the sanction is fulfilled at the national level.”
“In, for example, rugby union, a suspension imposed at the national level has international effect. That is not the case in football. Therefore, the player is free to play in the next FIFA World Cup in Qatar, if he is selected”.
Ronaldo’s Portugal begin their Group H campaign against Ghana on Thursday.
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